Wide-ranging student-led survey examines Oregon’s high schools

Oregon Student Voice released a report Tuesday that looks at Oregon’s high schools through students’ eyes.

Oregon Student Voice set up an online survey and conducted focus groups with the support of Chalkboard Project and DHM Research to create “State of Our Schools.” The group found that:

Students generally like their schools and feel safe but say the school atmosphere lacks respect and has limited ways of resolving conflicts.

Most students say they have good teachers and support but they would like to give their teachers more feedback.

Students say their participation in decision-making is important for change but their concerns are often not heard.

Students want more resources at their schools, especially mental health support and career and technical education classes.

Oregon Student Voice is a student-led advocacy group formed in 2016 open to all grade 6-12 students. The group aims to create a partnership between education decision-makers and the young people those decisions affect. The group also wants to educate students about how education decisions are made and create clear lines of communication between students and administrators and teachers.

More than 2,200 students participated in the survey.

“This report is based on the raw uncut opinions of the people who know the state of our schools better

than anyone: the students,” said Jared Cetz in a news release. Cetz is the group’s executive director and a sophomore at David Douglas High School in Portland.